Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, just my own characters.
Jacob Black
I was an engaged man!
I finally did it!
I proposed to Nessie and she said yes! And boy was I glad she did!
I don't think there was any doubt she would but I suppose the nerves I had were always going to be there.
The worst part was over and now I can finally relax and enjoy this period with my future wife.
Last night.
Man…What a night!
Nessie and I's night was probably our best night we've ever had together. In more ways than one.
It was magical. It was the time of my life and I never felt that way before. Even when we had our mind-blowing celebratory sex, it felt so different. So much more meaningful.
Last night marked the beginning of a whole new chapter of our lives together. Our engagement was another milestone we could check off the box on our journey to forever.
The proposal went through a tiny glitch at the restaurant but I think I wouldn't change the way things ended up going, what with being on the beach and everything. It was intimate. It was romantic. It was memorable.
I made sure to sneak a hidden camera in the palm trees last night while Nessie wasn't looking to record the engagement just in case I did it. We'll hopefully have a look at it sometime.
It was intended to be a keepsake for us that I think Nessie would appreciate for the future.
Pretty stoked that Nessie liked the ring so much. That was also a big worry of mine going into this.
Would she hate the ring? Nope! I didn't have to worry about that either!
My fiancée was happy and pleasured all in one night.
Jake did good y'all!
The ring was a symbol of my commitment and love for her even with Ness already aware how I felt about her. The wedding would just be a public declaration of that love and commitment we share for each other and mark our future marriage together.
Big Jake is settling down!
I'm going to experience what many of the wolves back home are experiencing. Married bliss with their imprintee.
I spoke to my dad about the prospect of proposing to Nessie when I spoke to him over the phone a few weeks ago and told him my intention of using mom's engagement ring for Nessie's.
I was at work, soon after I bought the engagement ring and began talking to the jeweler about commissioning a redesign of the ring to incorporate my mother's old diamonds.
I was currently on the phone with my dad.
"What do you think?" I asked my dad after telling him my intentions to propose to Nessie and to potentially use the diamonds on mom's ring.
"I think that's beautiful, Jacob." He responded.
"So, I can use mom's ring?" I followed.
He chuckled. "Of course you can, son. You can do whatever you like with the ring. The reason I gave it to you years ago is so you can gift it for your future wife. I don't care how you use it."
I nodded. "I really wanna keep her memory alive. I know how much you and the girls miss her and I don't know, I just wanted to be sure you'd be okay with it."
"As long as you're happy, I am happy. Your mother would say the same thing if she was here today. You're keeping her memory alive just by breathing, son. You and your sisters mean the world to me and all your mother and I ever wanted was for your happiness. Nessie makes you happy, and for that I will always love her for it." He expressed.
I grinned. My dad was just another person that's just as enamored, entranced and bewitched by my lovely mate as I was. He fell in love with her the moment he met her and has always treated Nessie as if she were his own daughter.
"Your mother would be so proud of the man you've become today." He said.
"Thanks, dad." I responded.
I was content in knowing I had a great supportive system backing me on this momentous day in my life. I had Nessie's parents' approval. I had my dad's blessing –which I was most looking forward to.
My buddies were thrilled. Nessie's family and friends will be thrilled when they all find out, sans Blondie I guess.
After we spend this weekend alone together with no outside distractions, Nessie and I will have a lot congratulatory hugs and calls to sit through.
I fluttered my eyes open, awakened by the cool breeze of the wind and the bright light of the sun rays peering through the curtains of the windows.
I stretched my arms out wide as I groggily yawned and rubbed my eyes.
I turned my body around and smiled as I went to greet my newly minted fiancée beside me but to my surprise, the space was empty.
I furrowed my eyebrows but then sighed in realization.
Nessie was an early riser.
In stark contrast to me –who is a serial night owl and detested waking out of bed in the morning unless absolutely necessary – Nessie loved to get up bright and early to start the day, no matter what she was doing. Sometimes we woke up separately and other times we woke up together.
I huffed as I snatched my phone from my nightstand to see a few missed calls and messages from friends and family. I received eighteen messages from Alice who clearly didn't get the memo about this weekend.
The other messages were just from my group chat with the guys – Seth, Embry, Quil, and Mike – hyping me up for my proposal last night. Leah sent a thumbs up emoji and an accompanying engagement theme gif.
My dad sent his regards earlier that day along with his girlfriend, Tiffany Call whom he recently moved in with.
My aunt Connie Littlesea sent me a message a couple of hours ago oddly enough. My dad probably let slip that I was proposing to my girlfriend soon. I would make sure to send her a message soon.
My sisters don't yet know I was proposing this weekend but I guess they will soon because Sam and Paul gave me a message this morning congratulating me.
Damn. News traveled fast.
I think the rest of the tribe will find out before I got the chance to tell them all at this rate.
This is why I wanted a complete detox from reality and phones this weekend.
I got one short message from Bella who wished me good luck.
I wish you all the best for 2nite and I am so happy for you both. – Bells.
Subsequently, as I read the message, the scent of mouthwatering bacon and egg filled my nostrils. Ness must be whipping up some good grub this morning.
My stomach grumbled in response.
Mmm…
I could get used to this in our marriage.
I smiled as I placed my phone back onto the nightstand and flipped the covers over before hopping out of the bed.
After taking a leak in the sweet bathroom, I grabbed a fresh pair of boxers and slipped them on before heading out the beach house bedroom.
The pad was pretty neat. The views were awesome and the house was cool, inviting, spacious and open.
Esme flipped the house when we first moved here and rented it out as a pseudo reception hub, Airbnb vacation home, or temporary home to whoever wanted it.
As I sauntered my way over to the kitchen in the direction of the scent of the food and of my mate, I heard the quiet sounds of music filling the air and the beautiful humming of Nessie's voice.
I walked into the open kitchen to see Nessie swaying her hips to Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons' Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You echoing from her Amazon Alexa.
She was dressed in the cute, comfortable pajama set from last night. Her purple, short sleeved, silky-smooth, satin collared buttoned down shirt which she had open to reveal the sexy lacy satin cropped camisole she wore last night and her short satin bottoms. She left her long, lustrous, curly copper hair up in a messy bun.
I smiled. She was so adorable.
I cleared my throat.
"Good morning, early bird." I greeted, scratching my hairy, hard stomach as it growled in hunger.
She giggled. "Morning, my handsome fiancé." She received.
I almost shivered at that.
Fiancé.
Still gotta get used to be being called that. But it felt good to hear the more times I heard it.
I meandered my way to her and rested both my hands on her hips as soon as I reached her.
I grinded my body into hers and laid my chin on her shoulder while I examined the meal as she used the spatula to flip over the scrambled eggs on one pan and the bacon and sausage in the other.
"Smells amazing," I whispered into her ear.
Her cheeks flushed as they burned red.
"Thanks," She replied. "You slept well?" She asked.
I swayed her hips along with mine as a new song came on.
"Mhmm," I answered. "What about you?"
"I slept amazing, thanks." She chuckled as I began humming to the song. "If we can count the few hours we both had to rest our eyes sleep, then yeah it was great."
I scoffed. I went to grab a bacon from the steaming pan and took a bite out of it.
Nessie gasped and spun around to slap my hard chest, scowling me.
"Ow!" I moaned with a mouthful.
"Did you wash your hands?" She demanded. I thought. "Ew! Wash your hands!" She ordered as she scolded me.
I grumbled with a heavy, deep croak before conceding and walking over to the kitchen sink and soaped myself up.
"I know you're starving. I'm almost done." She assured me.
"Don't rush. I like watching you cook," I told her as I looked at her.
She smiled back.
"I could definitely get used to this. Waking up every morning with you cooking up a tasty feast." I remarked, glancing at her hands preparing the meal and her ring glittering in the sunlight.
"Me too," She reacted. "I will gladly cook for you forever if you like. On days I'm not cooking, you can do the same. Especially if you're in the doghouse," She teased.
"Ah!" I said.
She laughed.
I dried my hands with the cloth as I walked over to Nessie's side who was now dishing out the food.
I planted a soft kiss on the back of her head and tapped her thigh before walking over to the kitchen island chair and took a seat on it, setting my bare feet on the stool.
"Can you believe Esme had this whole place fully stocked with fresh food?" She mused.
"I can. Esme is an organized woman." I replied.
Ness nodded. "Sure is. Alice too... I didn't know she had the closet fully stocked with everything I needed for the weekend."
I pursed my lips together in a slight curve as I scratched my slightly hairy stomach and adjusted the waistband of my boxers.
"How long have you been planning this weekend?" She asked curiously.
"The weekend or the proposal in general?"
"The weekend," she replied.
"I kid you not, it's not more than a week." I answered honestly.
"Wow," She said. "And I had no idea,"
"That was kinda the point," I chuckled as a matter-of-factly.
She rolled her eyes. "Smart ass, huh?"
I wheezed as I saw her pout her cute little bottom lip.
Nessie brought the two plates to the table and laid a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice beside mine.
I looked up at my fiancée. "Thanks, babe."
She leant her hand onto mine as she sat on the island chair next to me.
"You're welcome," She replied.
We both began digging into our breakfast.
"I went through my phone briefly this morning and dude, the amount of messages pouring in from our friends and a family, babe... It's a deluge." I remarked.
She gasped. "You said we're getting a full detox from all social media!"
"Exactly! I'm proving a point. This is the reason why we should stay away from our phones this weekend." I laughed.
She pursed her lips. "You're still breaking the rules. No fair,"
"I'm sorry! But I needed to be sure nobody died or something." I joked.
She rolled her eyes. "Excuses, excuses." She teased.
I grinned as I took a forkful of sausage and looked into her chocolate brown eyes I loved so much.
"When's your graduation?" I asked her suddenly.
She thought as she tried to remember.
"I think it's around late May or early June. Basically I think it's May 29th or June 5th depending on whether it gets pushed a week." She told me.
"Oh, why's that?"
"We've got these senior traditions that final month of school. Senior scribe, Senior Prom, Senior Yearbook Day, Senior Ditch Day, Senior Prank Day, etc." She told.
"Aww, we had senior traditions on the rez." I pointed out. "Of course, after I got my GED I didn't get to partake in those fun stuff."
She nodded. "That sucks."
I shrugged. "I don't think I missed much anyway."
"Well, we're doing a lot of stuff soon. In just two weeks, we're going on a senior camping trip."
"Lemme guess, your parents vetoed that?" I joked.
She rolled her eyes. "My mom's okay with me going. My dad needed a little more convincing but he's okay with it."
"You're not going too far, right?"
I didn't necessarily blame Edward for worrying. I too would worry if Nessie's went too far where there was no way to protect her.
I should make a point to know exactly where her campsite will be so I can follow her to keep an eye out for her. Without her knowing obviously.
Didn't want her to think I didn't trust her or that I was stalking.
"It's not far." She responded vaguely. "It's called Oak Creek Meadows Campground. It's in pretty close vicinity to Ventana Campground,"
I took the information in.
Oak Creek Meadows Campground near Ventana Campground. Got it.
"I'll be fine," She reassured me as if she was reading my mind.
"What?"
"You won't need to be worried about me. I'll be with the 120 senior classmen. Six teachers would be chaperoning our trip and we've got security with us."
"What are you talking about? I'm not worried!" I shook my head as I ate my food.
She raised an eyebrow as as she dangled her fork in the air and blinked her eyes at me.
"I know you, Jake." She pointed out.
That she does.
I chuckled. "Okay. Fine. I won't do anything stupid. Promise,"
I leaned in to kiss her cheek which caused her to huff and roll her eyes.
"You're just like my dad," She remarked.
I took offense. Me? Like Edward?!
I was on the verge of gagging at the mere comparison.
"I am not!" I retorted. "You can't exactly blame me for being concerned for your safety."
Things have been a little dangerous for the Cullens lately, and even more so while we were on high alert with Charles being on the loose and now Cassia.
I couldn't afford to think about what could happen to Ness when I wasn't around. The thought of anything happening to her was unfathomable and shook me to my core.
"I'll be perfectly safe. I promise!" She stated, dropping her fork onto her plate in frustration and locked eyes with me.
I pressed my lips together in a thin line as I scanned her eyes. I knew this annoyed her so I decided to alieviate some of the tense energy.
"Okay," I said as I sighed heavily and I dropped my gaze.
"I get it, Jake." She sighed, resting her small hand over my large one. "We need to be extra careful given our unique circumstances."
I nodded. Glad she understood where I was coming from.
"'Sides, I've got skills in combat on top of being a vampire hybrid with talents and I've got a badass bow/arrow wielding vampire huntress best friend to boot." She sweetened.
I chuckled as I went to grab her hand and gave it a little squeeze.
"I said okay..." I reassured her. "I trust you,"
She searched my eyes for any sign of doubt but found nothing. She smiled as she exhaled a satisfied breath.
"Good," She said.
"You'll text me every hour?" I asked. "Just to give me peace of mind."
"Jake!"
"Please?" I begged.
She sighed. "Sure!" She giggled.
I smiled back.
"I do hope you have fun though." I added, lightening the mood.
"I'm sure I will."
Ness looked back at me and gazed into my eyes as our fingers fiddled with each other.
She stretched her freehand out to wipe away some ketchup from the corner of my lip.
"How's work treating you?" She asked me.
"It's okay. A bit hectic. We're trying to reach our quota for the fiscal year so the workload is getting heavy," I expressed. "I'm taking more office hours now,"
"Oh? That's interesting. Is that a common practice or is this a new special job description for mechanics?"
"Well, it's more so for me." I told her. "My boss trusts my judgment a lot and so I've been sort of helping him with the running of the business, alievating some of the pressure off his shoulders."
She nodded. "That's good, right? I hope you're getting paid extra for that?"
I laughed. "I made sure of it, babe."
"Could you imagine when your boss retires, he could potentially leave his company to you?" She brought up, looking up at the thought.
I frowned. "I doubt he'd ever do that,"
"Why? Aren't you his favorite and best employee?"
"Sure! But I think he has other people in mind to run the company than me when he's gone." I answered.
For one. He had a son who was a total D-Bag who knew nothing about the company but he seemed like the only logical option to hand the company over to.
The repair autoshop was a family business that went back generations. I doubt I'd be the right fit to carry on that legacy.
"Never say never, sweetheart." She mentioned.
I shrugged.
Was I even interested in running the company?
I had no idea.
I knew I eventually wanted to open my own autoshop though.
"You're not a fan of tuxedo's, are you?" She asked abruptly.
I shrugged. "It's not that I'm not a fan, it's just that I can't find ones that fit my body to a T. They're either too tight or too short."
She nodded. "Alice can commission a tux tailored to your large frame."
I had a few blazer jackets in my closest but I knew neither of them were wedding appropriate.
Nessie seemed to have already had her ideal wedding mapped out already in her head.
"You've already got your ideal wedding dress in your head, don't you?" I teased.
She smirked as she chewed her bacon. "No," She giggled.
"Ah. So you do," I mocked.
"No. Seriously! I don't. I have ideas which is why I'm brainstorming. All I know is I'd like to have two dresses," She remarked.
"Two?"
"One for the ceremony and one for the wedding reception." She stated.
"Is that a thing?" I asked.
She nodded her head furiously.
"It's what all the brides do these days," She told me. "Having a second dress also allows me to dance better."
I nodded. "Whatever you want, babe."
She stuck her tongue out at me as she dug into her food again.
As I finished up my plate, Ness started to dish out the rest of her food from her plate for me to finish up when she became too full and then got up to place her dish in the sink to rinse it before slipping it in the dishwasher.
She then spun around and sauntered her way over to me.
"Y'know, I was thinking." She began as she hopped onto my lap and rested her hands on my shoulders as she straddled me.
"Mhmm," I hummed as I took a forkful of my eggs. "What were you thinking?" I asked, laying my hand on her backside to support her weight on me.
She chewed on her bottom lip. "Maybe we should wait…"
I frowned, looking at her now. "Wait for what?"
"The wedding night…" She said. "To consummate the marriage,"
I widened my eyes at her as my mouth agape mid-chew and I almost began choking on my food.
After a while, I closed my mouth and swallowed my eggs before glancing down to the ground as I processed her words.
"Why?" I questioned with a nervous chuckle.
She shrugged. "I mean, we don't have to but I just thought it would be more special that way. If we wait for the wedding night to have sex, it would be all the more worth it."
I cocked my eyebrows in confusion.
Was she serious?
"Um…I think we've already skipped over the part where we saved ourselves for marriage." I reminded her. "We've done a lot of 'consummating' for months now. And I mean a lot. Like… a lot!" I stressed.
She blushed. "I know. I know. I just thought it would be special if we had something to look forward to for the honeymoon." She told,
I sighed. "I see…" I expressed.
If I had known that she wanted to wait for the wedding night to have sex for the first time, I wouldn't have given into the pleasure so easily. And I probably would've proposed sooner.
"Oh! No! I'm not saying I regret having sex with you before." She quickly assured me. "Believe me, I love having sex with you. It's been absolutely…mind-blowing and life changing and just so great like…Yeah I wouldn't trade this for the world." She added.
I chuckled and smirked cockily.
Glad to know she's enjoying herself.
"I'm half not serious about waiting because I love sex with you so much but, I don't know…" She shrugged, dancing her finger on my shoulder. "It's something we can think about? Maybe talk about?"
I deliberated.
I don't know if I had the self-control to wait a whole year till we had sex again.
"A whole year, Ness?" I pressed.
She laughed. "Let's be open minded."
I exhaled. "Okay…" I wasn't sure I trusted my words.
"What are we going to do in the meantime?" I probed.
Did she expect me to just jerk off everytime when things got too heavy? How else was I supposed to relieve my horny thoughts?
She giggled at my expression.
"We can do other things," She whispered suggestively as she moved her hands from my shoulders to thread her fingers around my neck.
I cocked an eyebrow, this time in curiosity.
"Other things, huh?" I replied, threading my hands around her waist. "Alright, do tell."
She smiled brightly as she implanted her recently bejeweled hand onto my left cheek and I witnessed as memories, images and visions of us together in sexually compromising situations flooded my brain.
I stretched my hand to hold her hand on my cheek, making sure it never leaves my skin as I relished in the pleasure the replayed visions was bringing to me.
"Oh," I remarked as I saw an image of me going down on her from her perspective.
She twittered. "That's my favorite and a top request, please!" She joked.
I smirked. "I think that can be arranged."
When she was done showing me her thoughts, she pulled her hand from my blazing cheek and returned her fingers to lock around my neck.
I sighed as I tightened my grip around her waist and stared deep into her eyes as I deliberated some more.
I would need a helluva a lot of sheer willpower for this next year.
"I don't mind if we wait," I defeated. "As long as we get to do all of that you just showed me, then sure we can wait."
She laughed before leaning in to peck my lips in a quick chaste kiss.
"It doesn't have to start soon? I mean we can have one more fun night before we wait right?"
She thought. "I guess we can do one final soiree rendezvous." She said.
I chanted. "Yes!" I pumped my fist in the air.
"Oh god," She mocked. "Just one time, Jacob!"
I nodded with a sigh.
"You're just gonna have to apologize to my blueballs on our wedding night." I warned her.
She scoffed. "Whatever," She replied as she hopped off my lap and sauntered over to the kitchen counter to pour some coffee.
I watched her body sway as she gaited away, her booty perfectly perched up and moving freely in her short satin purple sleeper shorts and her impossibly rich, porcelain, fair skin in full view as her long legs glistened in the sunshine and her arms glowing in the light.
This was going to be a long year wait.
"I can feel you staring at me," She pointed out as she grabbed two mugs from the shelf and poured the espresso in them.
I smirked as I leaned back onto the counter and grabbed my fork as I continued chomping down on my delicious breakfast.
Nessie placed my espresso mug beside my plate as I ate.
"Thanks," I winked at her.
She threaded her fingers through my glossy jet black hair.
"What do you want to do today?" I asked her with a mouthful of hash browns, sausage and eggs.
She hummed as she spun around on her heel and propped back onto the countertop where I was eating, with her espresso in hand.
"Firstly, we should take a shower." I suggested.
She laughed. "I took my shower already when you were asleep." She told me.
I groaned. "Without me?" I pouted
She laughed again. "Sorry!"
I muttered something under my breath before moving back to drinking my espresso.
"I was thinking we could check out the beach. Maybe surf? Take Esme's boat out for a ride out in the ocean?" She suggested. "I saw the boat when you got here last night. That's hers right?"
I nodded, resting my hand on my thigh. "Yup! She said we can use it whenever we feel like."
"And I was thinking we could go hiking up to the caves?" She pointed out.
"Sounds like fun. I brought the tripod so we can also take pics." I told her.
She nodded, taking a sip. "This feels like a honeymoon already." She remarked.
I snickered. "It's a trial honeymoon,"
"A post-engagement-pre-wedding-pre-honeymoon if you will," She joked. "We're leaving tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah," I told.
"We can always watch movies or play games when we get back from the boat ride." She suggested as she brought over my espresso over to me.
"We still need to do that Marvel marathon," I reminded.
She nodded. "Alex will not forgive me if I don't finish Phase 2 of the MCU." She joked.
"Can't wait," I said to her as I took the coffee in my hands and gave it a sip.
I loved comicbook movies enough to follow them but I wasn't too crazed about them like Embry, Quil and Seth were.
They've taken over our cinematic and cultural zeitgeist right now though. I wonder if there'll ever be a fatigue.
I did really enjoy comics though.
I read a few comics like the classic X-men, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Batman, Green Lantern, and Justice League comic runs.
Some of the darker comics like Blade, Invincible, Wolverine and Deadpool were pretty cool too.
Ness locked eyes with me as I drank my espresso.
"What is it, baby?" I quizzed as I set my mug down.
"Just thinking about how hard this must be for my mom and dad right now." She stated.
I sighed. I suppose it would be hard for them to accept that their only daughter was about to get hitched. More so, Eddie than Bella I think.
"They support us though," I told her.
"No, I know. But I don't know... I'm their only daughter, yknow." She said.
I nodded. "They're thrilled as long as you're happy. You're happy, right?" I asked.
She responded with a big wide, teeth bearing smile.
"More than I've ever been," She said.
I raised my hand towards her. "There you go,"
She chuckled. "Okay! So movies and games tonight, right?" She changed the topic again as she hopped off her seat.
As Nessie was about to twirl on her heel to go back to retrieve her mug, I swung in my chair and went to snatch her by the wrist and spun her around, causing her to squeal as I hauled her into my arms and onto my lap.
She gurgled in laughter as I dangled and bent her body over to the side as I tipped her head back whilst holding her hands and supporting her back with my firm grip.
"…Or we can just spend the entire weekend making up for the long break we're about to venture on," I mentioned, bending my head as I leaned in to breathe against her lips.
She guffawed. "A final rendezvous weekend?" She sultrily murmured against my breath.
"Mhmm," I simply replied before closing the gap between our lips in an ardent, soft kiss.
She melted in my arms as she then tossed an arm around my neck, drawing me even deeper into the kiss.
Best weekend ever!
... ...
Bella Cullen
Los Angeles, California.
Today, Rosalie, Alice and I took a trip to LA for one of our shopping expositions. It was a cool, winter, Saturday late afternoon so the sun wasn't out much.
Choosing California as our next place to set up residence wasn't an easy decision simply because it's one of the Top 10 hottest states in America but it's nothing compared to Florida. The temperatures tended to be a lot cooler here, especially in winter and late afternoon.
The reason we picked Oakland Woods was because the small town was situated right in the mountain region of California at the highest altitude but the town also had a lot of reservoirs, valleys, rivers and lakes which made living there so much more convenient for public purposes than living out in the city.
Our sparkly skin wasn't as prominent today because of the thick clouds and cool wind but we covered up our skin as much as we can just for extra safety and caution.
We seldom had the issue of our skin being exposed to direct sunlight, and even if we did, humans wouldn't notice unless they probably did a double take.
It also helped that we decided to take a break from schooling on a daily basis. We weren't staying in California long. The reason we settled here was simply because Carlisle's transfer from Forks Hospital to California General State Hospital had a 3 year contract for the Chief of Surgery position and Carlisle didn't intend to extend it any longer.
Our next stop as a family would be Vermont, Canada or Iceland after Renesmee graduated high school in a few months.
We haven't yet decided where we would settle next. Some of the Cullens prefer to relocate to Canada, others are more inclined to perch up in Iceland as our next base.
It would definitely be a nice change of scenery.
I want to move to Iceland simply because I want to experience a different country but Edward is leaning more towards to Vermont to be closer to Renesmee who will be attending Columbia University in New York this fall.
Darn! Edward was the over-protective helicopter parent I dreaded becoming with Nessie.
To a degree, I want to do the same. I want Nessie to be close by but I also want to give her the space she needs to explore the world on her own. She's at that age in life where she didn't need her parents' following her every move.
As long as she was with Jacob by her side, I trust her sense of judgment implicitly and I trust she'd be safe wherever she was.
But due to recent events, I may have to reevaluate that stance.
Things have been a bit uncertain what with the unexplained answers we needed in regards to the threats we faced.
Charles. Cassia. The Hunters.
Were they all connected? We don't know yet.
Anyway, back to Nessie.
She was in many ways like a lot of other teenagers her age. She gets irritated by her parents, she gets frustrated easily, she is hormonal, she loved school but got tired of it sometimes, she was into sports, she was a cheerleader, she was the leader of some school boards.
She's not like I was at all.
She did other things. She partied, she hung out with friends, she was into cute boys, she was dating, she was having sex (I'm still having a hard time accepting that).
She was also an adult in that she has her own car, can take care of herself, handles her own finance and seeks her own opportunities without being guided or taught sometimes.
Renesmee was about to be start a big, new chapter in her life. Scratch that! Two big new chapters. College and marriage.
I have even more empathy for Charlie now.
Edward had a much harder time accepting that Renesmee was all grown up now.
Who can blame him? He's been alive for almost 115 years and he's only known Renesmee for only 9 of them and now she's already an adult about to get engaged.
It was hard.
I get that.
I felt it too.
It was hard to digest the fact that our little girl –who is actually supposed to be little in normal circumstances – isn't so little anymore. She's a grown woman. That was a bitter pill Edward and I had to swallow.
I've learned to accept the fate quicker than he has.
I do think Edward needed to get to a point of letting go of Nessie. I know it was super hard for him to do that because he loved her so much and the one way he shows that is by being protective over her.
Renesmee often got irritated at this. Edward and Renesmee's rocky relationship led to her pushing us away and disappearing on us last spring.
Since then, Edward did his best not to ever push Nessie to that level. He tried to accommodate her independent spirited nature and ease up on the restrictions he may have imposed on her. But it was still difficult.
Watching your only daughter grow up in a blink of an eye, from dreaming about princesses to dreaming about college and marriage, watching her leap from a gurgling infant to a beautiful, intelligent, curious young woman out to change the world and chase after her destiny.
It was jarring for any parent.
We wanted the full 18 year experience with her but now we'll only get half of that before we send her off to the scary, unknown, adult world.
Nessie, although often tries, she doesn't fully understand how that feels. I don't think she will until she has a child of her own which I hope isn't in the near future. I wasn't ready to be a grandmother before I was thirty.
She didn't need us anymore.
Maybe if we had more children, it would be easier for both of us to let go of our oldest?
Did Edward have it in him to adopt like Rosalie and Emmett?
Did I have it in me to adopt?
I didn't even think I'd get pregnant let alone become a mother but Edward and I have enjoyed the experience so far even if it was short-lived. Maybe we could get a second chance to properly do it next time?
I shook the thought out of my head.
God! No! I was not about to have baby fever. I was content with where my life was now.
I would not trade my experience for the world. Nessie will always be our little girl, no matter what happens.
Besides, it did not seem like something that would happen anytime soon.
Rosalie, Alice and I slipped out of the many clothing stores we went shopping to this afternoon. Retail therapy was what both Alice and Rose adored doing together to take their minds off the pressures of life for a bit.
I often tagged along just because I had nothing else to do and also book browsing was my form of retail therapy so I got to collect books as well.
Los Angeles had a bigger variety of options to choose from than Oakland Woods. It was a good two and a half hours south so the drive was a bit long but it was worth it, I suppose.
I've been to Los Angeles only a handful of times in my lifetime. A few times since moving here but before then, I'd say like once –maybe twice? And that was only to visit relatives who lived in Calabasas Hills.
The Cullens hadn't yet lived in California prior to moving here –except for Alice and Jasper who lived here briefly for a couple of years in the 60s. So they at least explored Los Angeles a bit. Alice believed Los Angeles was the 3rd best city to shop in the United States after New York and Chicago.
"Mom, I'm hungry!" Carter moaned.
Rosalie tightened her grip on his tiny hand as walked down the famous Hollywood boulevard.
"We'll get you something to eat soon, sweetheart." She assured the boy. "Is there any great restaurants around here?" She asked Alice and me.
I shrugged my shoulders and turned to Alice, who was carrying multiple bags from high end/haute couture brands such as Gucci, Dolce and Gabbana, Givenchy, and Versace.
"There's a Bea Bea's in Burbank. We could stop by there," Alice mentioned.
"Do they make waffles and pancakes?" Carter asked, his face lighting up as he stared up at his aunt.
I chuckled.
Alice rolled her eyes. "Yes, they do!" She responded to the energetic five year old.
Carter whooped.
Carter joined us on the trip because he enjoyed spending time with his mom, Rose. That boy worshiped the ground she walked on. Although, he did get influenced a lot by Emmett sometimes. Emmett was obviously the more fun-loving, free spirited, blasé, easygoing parent of the two of them but Rosalie was definitely the more caring, loving, attentive and affectionate parent.
That's what Carter needs.
He needs a stable household and parents who shower him with love and attention.
I have never seen Rosalie as happy as she looks whenever she's around Carter. She's just been beaming up like ferry lights ever since she became a mother. Her road to parenthood may not have been exactly how she wanted but I don't think she would trade it for anything in the world.
"Do you think we'll have to pipe down some food as well? I don't think I feel like having to regurgitate food for public appearances." Rosalie said, carrying a few bags of her own from Louis Vuitton, Chloe, Chanel, Alexander McQueen and Dior.
I got a few clothes myself but from more high street brands like Zara, Reiss and Shein although there were some stuff I got that I liked from Prada, Saint Laurent, Belle Bunty, and Armani. The simple couture brands that catered more to my general style.
"I'll volunteer to be the food storage," I joked.
I didn't mind the taste of food even though it did nothing for me. I suppose since I was the only recent vampire in our household who remembers the taste of human food from my past life, the taste of it didn't affect me as much as it did the other Cullens who detested.
Carter however loved human food. He loved it more than vampire blood oddly enough. He was the most human of everyone in the family, despite being a hybrid just like Nessie with many unexplained talents and gifts.
He only drank blood unless it was absolutely necessary or he craved it particularly one day. He's totally different to Nessie at his age.
Renesmee had no patience for human food and only tolerated it when she was younger but as she got older –and the more times she spent around humans or around Jake and the wolves – she enjoyed eating human food a lot more.
"Ooh! Could we just stop by Shoe Palace quickly? There are these Miu Miu, Stuart Weitzman and Christian Louboutin pumps I've been dying to check out." Alice chimed, her voice ringing like jingle bells.
Carter and I both groaned in unison. For two vastly different reasons.
"C'mon, Alice! We have enough bags as it is." I mentioned, gesturing to our large carry-ons.
"It will only take a second, I promise." Alice said as she hastily skipped into the Shoe Palace store.
As Rosalie, Carter and I were about to walk in, we were stopped by the sound of voices calling our names.
"Bella! Bella! Rosalie!" Familiar voices shouted out our names from a distance.
I spun my head to the sound to see two recognizable people, a couple, who I vaguely remember but they looked slightly different from the last time I saw them.
My eyes bulged in shock.
"Angela and Ben?" I gasped.
My high school friends, Angela Weber and Ben Cheney sauntered briskly towards Rosalie and me, bumping into a few people along the way.
"Bella!" Angela gasped. "Oh! What a surprise it is to see you!" She said, going in to give me a hug.
I chuckled as I returned the tight embrace.
"It's so good to see you too!" I responded. "W-what are you doing here?" I asked, after pulling away from Angie and moving over to embrace Ben.
"We should be asking you the same thing! After our wedding, we lost touch." Ben replied as he hugged me
I smiled. My fault I guess.
I didn't want to keep much contact with people in my past unless it was strictly necessary because being an immortal vampire required I kept my human interaction to a minimum. Not for my bloodlust or whatever –I had that under control – but for the simple purposes of protecting my human relationships from the interest of the Volturi and to also limit my need to keep up a human façade around them.
The last time I saw Angela and Ben was at their wedding three or four years ago.
"Yeah, sorry about that." I said sadly.
Angie smiled at me before locking eyes with Rosalie who gave her a polite smile.
"Oh! Rosalie! You look just as beautiful and youthful as I last remember you." Angela mused.
Rosalie flipped her long, soft, straight blonde hair at the compliment, smiling and shrugging her shoulders knowingly.
"Why, thank you." She laughed. Angela laughed along. "You look good too,"
Angie blushed. "That's sweet but I look like an old hag in comparison."
I shook my head.
"Are you kidding? You look fantastic! You're glowing!" I mentioned to her.
She grinned widely before moving her large blanket scarf around her neck to the side to reveal a protruding baby bump underneath her brown leather jacket and lavender sweater. She then began caressing her belly, stroking it up and down in a soothing motion.
She's pregnant?
I widened my eyes. "Well, that explains it!"
We all laughed.
"Congratulations, Angie!" I exclaimed as I went in to give her a second hug. "And congratulations to you, Ben!" I hugged him as well.
"Yeah, I helped with the supply but she's doing most of the work." He joked shyly.
I snickered quietly, smiling brightly.
I remembered being particularly close to Ben and Angela when we were all in high school. Angie always had the kindest soul among a lot of our friendship group. She was the closest thing I had to a best friend back then before Alice really assumed that role.
Ben was equally as sweet. He was always shy but had good intentions. Edward told me they were the few good friends I had that had genuinely meant well.
I examined their appearances now. Angela still had her lovely, always-gentle brown eyes I remembered but her hair was different. It was a lot darker now, almost mahogany brown and short, sitting in a chin length bob.
Ben Cheney was still awkwardly handsome but a lot more mature now with his facial hair and formal casual attire.
"Bella, can I just say you look phenomenal! You haven't aged a day either!" Ben remarked.
"It's been only three years since I last saw you, Ben." I told him.
He shrugged. "I know, but…"
I smiled, laying a hand on his shoulder. "I'm so happy you feel that way,"
Angela nudged his ribcage.
She teased him. "Okay, honey! You had too much milkshake on the way here."
"Maybe that's it." He smiled sheepishly.
"How's Edward?" Angela asked. "And Emmett?" She asked, looking at Rosalie.
"They're good." I said, smiling back at Rose who nodded. "They're both busy with work at the moment,"
That was the truth.
Edward had a therapy session with a client/patient of his back at our house in the small office cottage on our property and Emmett had some college football practices. He coached the San Francisco State University football team and they're looking to extend his contract so Rosalie and Emmett might end up staying in California for a while longer after we leave.
"Mom, can we go now?" Carter asked, tugging on Rose's flowy, floral dress.
"We'll go soon, baby. We have to wait for Aunt Alice," Rosalie said to the child as she stroked his curly hair.
He pouted in response before turning back to his portable gaming system.
"Oh, you have a son?" Angie pointed out, staring down at Carter.
Rosalie nodded, staring down at CJ with pride. "His name is Carter. I had him five years ago."
Carter conveniently looked like he could be related to both Emmett and Rosalie. His curly, light coral copper-brown, almost magenta hair looked closer to Emmett and his facial features were similar to Rosalie in a way so they could pass him off as their kindred son and it would be believable.
"He looks just like you!" Angie remarked kindly. "Hey, buddy!" She greeted cooingly.
Carter looked up and smiled brightly at her. "Hello, Angela! It's nice to meet you." He said, stretching his hand out to give her a handshake.
Angie widened his eyes at his courteousness and level of awareness for a five year old.
"Well, aren't you sweet?" Angie giggled, dropping down to his level as she shook his hand before standing up to stroke her belly. "Hopefully this little one is as well-mannered."
"Do you know what you're having?" I asked.
"A girl," Ben replied, draping an arm around her waist.
I smiled.
A girl. Just like my little nudger. My Renesmee.
"Do you have any kids?" Angie asked.
I almost nodded my head immediately. Almost.
But I didn't feel like opening another can of worms that I couldn't keep closed. Rosalie was different because Carter was right there beside her.
"No. Not yet." I replied.
I hated having to deny Renesmee's existence to humans. I was proud to have her as my daughter. I was supposed to be gushing all about her, not keeping her a secret.
Angie nodded and decided to leave it at that.
"What are you doing in LA, by the way? You left Forks?" I asked.
"Yes! We did, recently." Ben responded. "Ang's twin brothers and I decided to open up our own comicbook and book shop chain not so far from here actually in Hollywood Hills and Pasadena."
"My brother Isaac was already up here and we all moved up here last year to get the stores up and running." Angie added.
"The opportunities are just a lot better here." Ben pointed out.
"Yeah, and I got a job as a set photographer so that's exciting." She smiled.
Right. I remember Angela mentioning back in school how she wanted to professional photographer for big corporate companies.
"I'm happy to see things are going well for you both." I stated truthfully.
"Thanks! Do you keep in touch with anyone else? Like Jessica Stanley? Mike Newton? Katie Marshall? Eric?" Ben asked.
I shook my head. "Sadly, I do not. Heard anything interesting?"
"Jessica apparently married some hedge fund type millionaire in Atlanta. Katie Marshall and Mike Newton apparently got together a few years ago."
"Mike and Katie?" I questioned in bewilderment.
"I know." Angie laughed. "Eric is living somewhere in London. Mallory is still in Forks I heard, doing shifts at Costco." She added.
Oh Lauren Mallory! The school bully.
She never particularly liked me.
Not to dunk on people who work in retail but let's just say, I guess she peaked in high school. Like many popular kids.
"That's interesting," I smiled.
Angie sighed. "Well, it was lovely to see you again."
"Same here,"
"We should keep in touch more often!" Ben said.
"We should!" Angie agreed.
I smiled and nodded. "I'll definitely try to keep in touch. I'll send my regards to Edward."
"Please do!" Angela pulled me into one final tight embrace. "It was so great to see you."
"You too, Angie." I replied, hugging her again.
Angela and Ben exchanged pleasantries with Rosalie and Carter before going back to their next destination.
"They seem happy and well adjusted." Rose pointed out.
I nodded. "Yup. I'm happy for them!"
Alice suddenly reappeared from her 'short' trip into the Shoe Palace.
"Okay! Done!"
"Now can I go eat?" Carter begged, looking up at his mother with pleading eyes.
Rosalie rolled her eyes and I laughed before we all decided to hop into Rosalie's black Range Rover SUV and drove over to Burbank.
Alice, Rosalie, Carter and I were seated in the Bea Bea's restaurant as Carter enjoyed his waffles with ice cream and chocolate syrup and pancake dessert after eating some home fried potato fries and juicy cheese burger.
Because Carter enjoyed human food so much, Rosalie had to monitor his food intake and general meal consumption. She wanted him to have a healthy balanced diet with the occasional junk food here and there.
Today was one of those occasions.
I resorted to drown down a French toast whilst Alice and Rosalie enjoyed some wine.
Alcohol did nothing to our system (as we had no bloodstream for alcohol to run through) but some beverages, wine in particular, tingled our taste buds more than others so we all enjoyed a glass or two once in a while. Sometimes we even mixed some animal blood with a glass of Cabernet or Merlot.
"How do you think the engagement went, Alice?" I asked my sisters as I chugged down the gross French toast with some water.
I'd have to cough it back up when I get home.
"I called the restaurant this morning. Apparently there was a proposal that night, just not from Jake," She said.
I widened my eyes. There was no proposal?
Jacob requested that we didn't call or text either him or Renesmee this weekend so they can both process and enjoy this peaceful time they had as a newly engaged couple with none of us flooding them with congratulatory calls, messages or embraces just yet.
I hoped things went well for them.
I wondered if Jake decided to skip the proposal last minute then?
"Oh! Don't worry! I have no doubts it went smoothly." She assured. "Jacob probably had a change of plans. A change of scenery perhaps? I think he definitely popped the question at the beach house. Seems like a romantic and intimate place to do it, if you ask me." She said nonchalantly.
"I'm surprised you're so calm about it." Rose stated.
She shrugged. "It's a gut feeling, not a vision because they're subjective but trust me, they're engaged." She said.
I smiled back but not without sighing nervously.
"I can't believe my little girl is getting married," I heaved a breath.
"Believe it, Bells!" Alice laughed.
"Your future son-in-law is a dog, Bella." Rosalie remarked. "A smelly dog, Bella!" She reiterated.
"Yes, I'm aware, Rose. Thanks." I chuckled.
I was happy for Jake though. Despite claiming my daughter from the moment she was born, I knew Jake was the right person for her. They made a lot of sense together. More sense than him and I ever could've been had I chosen differently.
He was still my best friend even though our dynamic has shifted since and is subject to shift as he continues to have more milestones with my daughter.
Jacob Black will be my son-in-law.
Good god.
"Please don't give my daughter the same stress you gave me with my wedding planning?" I pleaded to Alice.
She gasped, clutching her chest as if I had shot her with a bullet. "Well, I never!" She exclaimed, offended. "Why would you assume such a thing?"
I cocked a brow. "Because that's what you do, Alice."
She rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Bella. I am positive Nessie will be an easier bride than you ever were."
I wasn't so bad!
Heck, I don't think I was bad at all.
I let Alice do virtually anything and everything she wanted.
"Ness will be more collaborative. She likes weddings. She will at least be present in the wedding planning." She said.
I rolled my eyes now. "Yeah! Sure! Okay! Fine, I'm boring… Tell me something I don't know!"
Alice groaned. "Nobody called you boring, Bells. Why are you putting words in my mouth?"
"You're thinking it!"
"No! I was not!"
Rosalie waved her hands in the air to halt our bickering.
"Ok, ladies! Retract the claws! You're both annoying me, right now! Happy?" She mocked.
I chuckled softly before looking into the distance.
My Renesmee was going to be a wife soon. I know I got married young but seeing my own child follow my footsteps kind of terrified me.
Renee and Charlie got married when they were young too. Geoffrey and Helen Swan got married in their early 20s. My grandmother Marie did too.
So were the Swan dynasty just destined to get married young?
Renesmee isn't a kid anymore. She's doing things that kids just aren't doing her age.
To be fair to her though, she was never really a "kid". She was always slightly more mature than her age and even some adults.
I dropped my head down and placed my arm on the table as I sighed acutely, my head in deep thought.
"Excuse me?" I heard the soft spoken, low voice of a man come from behind me.
I tilted my head around to see a very dashingly handsome man with slick back light blonde hair, light caramel skin and stunning dainty greenish eyes. He definitely looked like a mixture of a lot of ethnicities but I suppose he was leaning more towards Caucasian presenting. He didn't look older than twenty-two or twenty-three.
His energy felt different than normal humans. He wasn't intimidating or threatening in anyway, but he still had a certain edge to him I haven't seen in a human.
He couldn't be a vampire. He looked human. But...
He felt otherworldly. Not of this world.
Hmm.
"Hello?" I greeted.
"Sorry, to disturb you all," He expressed politely, his eyes landing on Carter. "I thought you all looked really familiar to me for some reason."
"Have we met?" Rosalie gave the man a quick once over.
He shook his head, peering his gaze from Carter who was now looking up at him as if they had some unspoken connection.
"No! No! I don't think we have." The dashing man responded. "Again, I thought you looked familiar. I apologize if I disrupted your lunch," He said as he began making his way back.
Rosalie stopped him. "Wait!" She called.
I darted my head towards her with a frown.
She ignored me. "What's your name?" She probed. Carter turned back to his mom before curiously looking back at the man.
The man locked eyes with Carter who he gave a small smile and nod to.
"My name is Nathanael Blaise Rosenthal-Gustafson." He introduced, stretching his hand out to Rose. "You can call me Nate or Blaise." He mentioned in a strange mixture of a Swedish-British accent.
Rose reluctantly took his hand and shook it. "Rose," She responded with a wary eye.
He then extended his hand out to Alice and I to which we both shook before settling onto Carter.
"Hi, there!" He greeted with a warm smile at the boy. "My name is Nate." He said.
Carter looked down at his hand and then up into his eyes, the young ball looked enthralled at seeing a new face which is usually always the case for Carter, but this time felt different.
"Nice to meet you, Blaise." He said. "My name's Carter."
Carter was a cheeky boy. Just like Emmett.
The second their hands touched, I watched the symbol on Carter's wrist –the flame shaped symbol with a ring encircling it – glowed a bright red-orange color.
I then glanced back at the man's wrist to see his wrist also glowing slightly as his skin stuck out briefly through the hem of his long sleeved shirt.
But it could be my mind playing tricks on me because the second I blinked, I saw nothing on his wrist whereas Carter's symbol still glimmered brightly as they shook hands.
It could've just been an optical illusion right?
The second their hands departed, his bright flaming symbol dimmed out.
We didn't know what this symbol meant when we first saw it. We thought it just had to do with the powers he got from Charles. As long as it didn't hurt him or others, we didn't think much of it.
The mysterious man, named Nate or Blaise, gave us all a parting nod and smile.
"It was good to meet you. Enjoy the rest of your lunch," He bowed before glancing back at Carter.
And then he disappeared.
Weird.
"That was weird, right?" I voiced.
Alice nodded. "Definitely."
Rosalie frowned and turned to Carter. "You okay?"
Carter nodded back. "Yes! Can I have a milkshake refill?" He asked nonchalantly.
I giggled.
A/N: There you go! A quick chapter update in succession. Hope you enjoyed it. So I decided I needed to revisit Bella and some of the Cullens in this chapter. It's been a while since we've followed them. I thought I'd also bring back Ben and Angela. I always liked them. Hopefully you guys enjoyed peeking into Bella's thoughts.
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